Meet Pinky – The Rare Pink Dolphin

First spotted in 2007, Pinky the rare pink dolphin has again surfaced in Louisiana.

So how did this special dolphin get to be so very pink?

Greg Marsh, a scientist who studies the genetics of colour variation, says Pinky is most likely an albino, pointing to her red eyes and blood vessel as evidence.

Boat captain Erik Hue, who first spotted the baby pink dolphin back in 2007, believes Pinky has a genetic disorder, telling WGNO that “Dolphins have pink bellies, so I just kind of started thinking that this is a genetic glitch. If it was albino, I believe it would be white.”

Photo credit: Erik Rue

The World Wildlife Fund say they can’t identify Pinky’s species type.

There are two naturally pink species of dolphins known as the Amazing river dolphin and Chinese white dolphin. However, neither species is quite as brightly pink as Pinky.

Erik says he recently saw Pinky mating, so we may soon get the chance to see if Pinky’s offspring inherent her blush hue.